MONTREAL - There are many French dishes out there that have been victims of their success. Classics like coq au vin, boeuf bourguignon, sole meunière and even a simple tarte jardinière (fruit flan) have been ruined by poor cooking techniques, second-rate ingredients and simple overexposure.

One of the worst to suffer such culinary indignity is that provençal favourite, salade Niçoise. As delicious as this composed salad sounds, good luck finding one that lives up to the Grace Kelly nibbling one on a Promenade-des-Anglais terrasse fantasy. Truth be told, the mighty salade Niçoise is now all too often relegated to the corner spot on airplane food trays.

Even in restaurants, they don’t always score. The first salade Niçoise I sampled was at a beachside bistro in Cannes. I can still recall the oil-slicked eggs, the wilted lettuce, the overcooked haricots verts, the plethora of shrivelled olives, watery potatoes, and the excess of anchovies, second only to the excess of sliced green and red peppers. In the middle of it all was a chunk of canned tuna. It was tourist fare extraordinaire and after a few bites, I shoved it aside. Years later, almost identical versions of the salad were offered to me on many summer lunch menus in Montreal in the ’90s. Hardly enticing.

But then, at about the time seared tuna steaks became all the rage in the new millennium, the salade Niçoise took on a whole new demeanour. Now it was fresh, colourful, tasty and alive! I recall a cooking show where chef Jacques Pépin whipped up a Niçoise filled with pink-centred tuna filets, al-dente vegetables, wispy greens and plenty of herbs, the whole topped with a vinaigrette made with top-quality olive oil. Now, this was a salad I could get into! I made it often for special guests for alfresco encounters. Washed down with plenty of rosé, it became my go-to summer dinner party fave.

Alas, the refreshed Niçoise never hit big in Montreal restaurants; the only one I recall as memorable was at the now-sadly defunct Nizza. Yet, it remains a stellar home-party dish, especially on steamy Montreal nights when all you want is a salad, a glass of cold wine, and some sunny flavours to awaken taste buds eager to forget all those wintry pot roasts. Most all the ingredients are now available at the markets (I substitute the not-yet-in-season green beans with asparagus), and to keep the seafood choices sustainable, be sure to opt for Albacore tuna.

And as for what to drink with this nice meal from Nice, how about a rosé from Provence? I thoroughly enjoyed it with my favourite of 2011, Pétale de Rose, $18.90. (SAQ code: 425496). Avoid this dish with red wines, though, which make the fish taste metallic.

Salade Niçoise

Serves 6, or 4 generously

This is a recipe inspired by the first version of salade Niçoise I made by Jacques Pépin, yet I have added a few ingredients to liven it up and/or simplify, such as my choice of bottled grilled red peppers (feel free to substitute fresh roasted, seeded and peeled red peppers).

I also prefer an assortment of olives instead of the usual small black Niçoise olives, which can be bitter.

Though it’s good to stick to the recipe to get a feel for the original, feel free to add, substitute or subtract ingredients from this list. Just avoid adding ingredients that would distract from the Provençal flavour of the dish. So, please, no mangoes.

Prepare the dressing: In a jar, combine the mustard, garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper. Cover and shake until well combined. Add the olive oil (or combination of oils), cover again and shake until smooth. Set aside.

Prepare the hard-boiled eggs: Place the eggs in a small pot, cover with cold water, place on high heat, bring to a rolling boil, immediately cover the pot and remove from the heat. Set your timer for 15 minutes, and when the time is up, immediately plunge the eggs in ice water to cool. Once the ice has melted, remove the eggs from the water, peel and refrigerate until needed.

Prepare the potatoes: Place the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold, salted water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25 to 35 minutes, until the potatoes are tender but still firm when pierced with a fork. Drain off the water and set aside the potatoes until cool enough to slice. Peel the potatoes, if desired, and cut into ½-inch slices or ½-inch cubes. Toss with a few large spoonfuls of the dressing as well as the chives. Cover and refrigerate.

Prepare the beans: Blanch the beans (or asparagus) in boiling salted water until tender but slightly firm to the bite, then immediately immerse in ice water. Drain and set on a paper towel to dry.

Cut the drained pepper wedges into thin julienne strips, and slice the tomatoes in half crosswise, press out the seeds and cut the unpeeled flesh into 1-inch pieces.

Chill all the prepared vegetables until ready to serve.

About 20 minutes before serving: Heat a grill pan over high heat for 4 or 5 minutes, or until very hot. Sprinkle the tuna with black pepper and salt and then rub lightly on both sides with a bit of canola oil. Place the tuna steaks on the hot skillet and grill over high heat for about 2 minutes on each side, or until they are lightly browned on the outside and cooked until rare on the inside. Place on a plate to cool slightly. When lukewarm, slice into stripes.

When ready to serve, prepare a large platter. Cut the eggs into quarters and place in a pile on one end of the platter. Place two or three mounds of your salad greens on the platter as well. Place your stack of blanched green beans (or asparagus) next to the eggs and repeat the process with the tomatoes, peppers and potatoes to fill up the space. Scatter the chopped onion atop all the ingredients, followed by the olives, and finally the basil leaves. Top with the freshly cooked tuna stripes and spoon over enough vinaigrette to season the salad but not drown it.

Serve immediately.

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